Olympic Games 2030 and 2034 – Winter Games: IOC leaders recommend France and the USA – Sports

Lausanne (dpa) – The French Alps and Salt Lake City are a little closer to being selected to host the 2030 and 2034 Olympic Games. The President of the International Olympic Committee recommended to the General Assembly to award the contract to applicants for the Winter Games.

At the start of its three-day meeting in Lausanne, the IOC Executive Board approved the proposal of the selection committee for future Olympic Games.

The IOC session is scheduled to make its decision on July 24, shortly before the start of the Summer Games in Paris. However, it is considered a formality that France will host the Winter Games in 2030, and that US candidate Salt Lake City will host the Winter Games four years later.

Preferred applicants already

France and the USA were selected as preferred applicants for the 2030 and 2034 winter editions last November. Since then, as part of the new award procedures, a so-called targeted dialogue has been conducted with these nominees only. Following visits to both areas, the selection committee recently praised the applicants' plans and the high level of support from politics, business and the public.

In addition, both candidates already have Olympic experience. In the French Alps, the Winter Games were held in Chamonix (1924), Grenoble (1968), and Albertville (1992). Hosted by Salt Lake City in 2002.

This time, France plans to hold the games in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions. Several ice competitions are scheduled to be held in Nice. After this year's Summer Games, the country will host an Olympic spectacle again in just six years. It will be similar in the United States, with Salt Lake City following suit six years later with the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games.

The next Winter Games will be held in 2026 in the cities of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo in Italy. According to the IOC's wishes, Switzerland should have preferential rights for 2038 if it applies again. However, in the long term, the winter landscape is problematic for the IOC due to climate change. The researchers calculate that only ten countries will still have enough snow and ice to host the Winter Games from 2040 onwards.

© dpa-infocom, dpa:240612-99-373510/3